Stefan's Reason
by SalemCassidy
Summary: Well I just finished watching the last episode of Vampire Diaries. I blame Stefan totatlly. So does Damon. When Stefan confronts Damon over Elena's disappearance he gets a little confrontation of his own. Stefan/Damon. Flame if you wish. I will giggle.


Damon had been sitting in the same place for hours. He had the grimoire he should be find a witch to undo the spell and free Catherine from the tomb, but he just can't get over it. Stefan did it again. Just when Damon thought he could trust his brother again, just when he thought Stefan might actually help him free the woman that they had loved he betrayed him again. The imaged played through his head finding Stefan and Elena kneeling by his father's open grave Emily's book of spells lying open on the ground. He had known as soon as he saw his brother with the book that he had no plans of helping him. He stood at the edge of the clearing feeling grief overwhelm him which was soon overwhelmed by rage.

Standing he threw the book to the ground and took a swing at a nearby tree, the wood splintering as his fist made the connection. He stood and stared at the crater he had made and grinned. Even after all these years his vampire strength still amazed him. He heard the tell tale whistle of another vampire rushing through the trees before he felt the hands on his shoulders. They spun him roughly and pinned him against the tree he'd just pummeled. He didn't expect it to be Stefan. The last time he'd pulled a trick like this he'd ran and hid for days. Now he was suddenly here and looking pissed.

"Where is she?" He said slamming Damon back against the tree.

"Who?"

"Elena, I know you did something with her. You'd do anything to pay us back for trying to get the grimoire before you."

"I haven't moved since you left. I don't know where your little clone is." He snapped shrugging off his brother's grasping hands.

"Why should I believe you?" Stefan said stalking away his nose lifted to the air scenting.

"Oh that's rich." Damon smirked leaning back against the tree.

"It's not like you've never lied to me or did something to me." Stefan ranted spinning around.

"You started it, you Daddy's boy. I trusted you to keep Catherine's secret and you couldn't do it. You just had to run and tell him so he'd be proud of you just like always." Damon sneered bending down he picked up a pebble and winged it at Stefan's head. It hit dead center giving a sharp rap as it smacked against his forehead.

"That hurt! Real mature, start throwing rocks." Stefan snapped rubbing the sore spot.

"You're right, I should fucking pin your ass to the ground with a stake." Damon growled reaching for nearby tree limb. "You took everything from me and what's worse you're doing everything to keep me from getting it back." He pushed away from the tree the branch in his hand snapping off. He stared down at the broken in and smiled. "You know what I just don't understand? You found your own little Catherine mini me, why the hell can't you leave me alone and let me free Catherine?" Damon lunged forward swinging the limb at his brother's head.

"I never wanted Catherine." Stefan said ducking beneath the clumsy attack.

"Then why can't you just let me have her back." Damon said taking another swing.

"Because I didn't want you to have her either." Stefan said grabbing at the branch. He caught it and held it tightly.

"Why the hell not?" Damon said yanking futilely on the stick. He hadn't fed on a human since Stefan had agreed to cooperate with him and his strength was little better than Stefan's.

"Because I wanted to her leave, I wanted her to go far away and never come back." Stefan released his end of the branch and dashed to the edge of the woods.

"Where are you going? Get back here; I'm not done trying to kill you yet." Damon demanded giving chase.

"I've got to find Elena, Anna must have her." Stefan said running deeper into the woods. Damon gave chase hoping that the last blood he drank would give him enough strength to catch his runty brother. Somehow Stefan managed to keep ahead of him so Damon veered off the path and scrambled up a tree. Stefan through a glance over his shoulder and skidded to a stop as he saw that Damon was no longer behind him. He lifted his face to scent the air for Damon's scent just in time to see his brother dive from a nearby tree. He tried to dodge away but Damon landed on him forcing him to the ground and pinning him there. "Let me go!" Stefan demanded trying to struggle out from beneath Damon.

"So help me I will stake you if you don't stop squirming you little shit." Damon growled gritting his teeth. He pulled a stake out of the inner pocket of his jacket holding it in the air one handed. Stefan instantly stopped struggling and lay still his eyes wide. "That's better now tell me what the fuck is going on."

"I have to find Elena." Stefan stammered staring up at the stake.

"We'll go find Elena after you tell me why you hated Catherine so much." Damon said waving the pointed stick back and forth in front of his brother's nose.

"Please, just let me go." Stefan whimpered.

"Nope, I want to know why you started all of this so I can end it." Damon said leaning back to get more comfortable.

"I was so happy when you came home." Stefan sighed throwing an arm up over his eyes. "The entire time you were gone I was worried about you. I was scared to death that you'd get yourself killed or maimed in battle."

"How sweet." Damon said rolling his eyes.

"Father was so angry that you had deserted but I didn't care. The family honor wasn't worth losing you. Things were just getting back to normal when she showed up and I saw the way that you looked at her. I knew it would be no time before you climbed in bed with her. I just hoped that she would kick you back out. Of course she didn't I mean look at you." Stefan grunted moving his arm to peek out at his brother. Damon couldn't help but grin.

"Stroking my ego won't help little brother." Damon said trailing the tip of the stake along Stefan's prominent cheek bone.

"When it became clear that she wasn't going anywhere I decided to court her myself. I was hoping that if I could get in her bed to it would make you angry enough to leave her, but she used her stupid compulsion to make you okay with it. I hated being with her especially when it became clear that you weren't going to stop seeing her."

"Then why did you keep going to bed with her?" Damon asked letting the stake drop to his side.

"It was all worth it after that first night. That first time she stared into your eyes and told you to come to bed with us. She tried to compel me too but she didn't need to." Stefan said covering his eyes again tensing for the blow.

"What are you saying?" Damon asked staring down at his little brother.

"You thought I kept touching you accidently. Every time my hand slid over your skin, every time my fingers tickled down your thigh I knew what I was doing. I was touching you and that's the only reason I could keep touching her." Stefan said sighing. Damon stood up quickly waking away a few steps. "I talked to father. I didn't even actually tell him Catherine was a vampire, I couldn't betray you like that, but I hoped against all hopes that he would figure it out. When he did I was overjoyed." Damon's fingers tightened into a fist at his side the stake clutched between them shattering with a loud crack. "I hated seeing what it did to you, but I was still glad that she was gone, glad to have you to myself again."

"This is fucked up, Stefan." Damon said sitting down by a tree a few feet away. Stefan didn't move.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Damon. I just couldn't see you with her anymore. I've regretted it all these years because all that I accomplished was making you hate me."

"If you hated Catherine so much then what's the deal with Elena?" Damon asked letting his head loll back against the rough bark of the tree.

"I thought that since Elena looked so much like Catherine you would come back to and things could be like they used to be."

"This shit is so fucked up." Damon flashed to his feet and walked over to stand over Stefan. "I should kill you right now."

"Do it." Stefan said moving his arm to stare up at his brother.

"What?" Damon asked his eyebrows rising into his bangs.

"You know the truth now and you still hate me. Kill me and put me out of my misery." Stefan said stretching his arms out. A single pinkish tear welled up and slid down his cheek.

"I can't do it." Damon said throwing the stake down and walking away. He turned and laughed at the hopeful look in Stefan's eyes. He walked over and grabbed the front of his brother's shirt yanking him off the ground. "I can't do it because you're so pathetic." Stefan's face crumbled.

"If you wanted me than you should have come after me instead of acting like Papa's perfect boy." Damon said setting Stefan roughly on his feet. "Did you think I never noticed how you looked at me or how you bawled your eyes out when I left for the army? All you had to do was beg me to stay and I would have, but no you were so eager to please Father that you let me leave."

"I thought it was what you wanted." Stefan said.

"When I finally got tired of dodging bullets and cannon balls I thought that maybe just maybe when I got home you'd have grown a pair. Of course not, you just stood there while he beat me for deserting; you never said a word when he threatened to disown me."

"When you left that night I begged him to let you stay." Stefan rushed over and grabbed Damon's arm. "I told him that you came home because I sent a letter begging you to."

"You lied to him for me?" Damon asked glancing at Stefan's face.

"No, I did send you letters, at least one a week begging you to come home. After he died I found them all in a box under his bed along with the letters that you wrote to me while you were away." Stefan said hanging his head. "I never told you how I felt because I was afraid I would drive you away. I had no idea that's what I was doing anyway. I love you Damon. All these years I'm still loved you. Everything you've done to me I've deserved for what I did to you."

"Damn straight you pansy." Damon said walking over to wrap his arm around Stefan's shoulder. Stefan glanced up his face filled with that hopeful look again.

"Do you forgive me?" He asked.

"Not quite yet." He said slapping Stefan smartly on the back of his head. "First we're going to go find your girlfriend so you can tell her that the only reason you've been messing with her is to get back with me." Damon said smiling wildly.

"Then?" Stefan asked allowing his brother to lead him into the woods.

"Then we're going to go release Catherine so you can tell her the same thing."

"Then will you forgive me?"

"Maybe after you've told everyone in Mystic Falls." Damon said laughing leading his little brother into the trees.


End file.
